Historical Memorial of the Northeast Old Aviation School and Flight Training Base

Historical Memorial of the Northeast Old Aviation School and Flight Training Base

The Historical Memorial of the Northeast Old Aviation School and Flight Training Base serves as a base for patriotic education and national defense education.

The Historical Memorial of the Northeast Old Aviation School is the only museum in China’s Air Force dedicated to showcasing the history of pilot training.

The Northeast Old Aviation School was the earliest pilot training base of China’s Air Force, where the journey of the country’s air force began as pilots took to the skies. Strolling through the exhibition halls of the memorial feels like traveling through a time tunnel. The walls of the halls are covered with photos of iconic figures and heroic pilots from various historical periods. Many of the names are familiar to us — such as wartime hero pilots Han Decai and Du Fengrui; former Air Force commanders Wang Hai and Liu Yalou, and so on. Each name represents an extraordinary story, and it is these shining names that have illuminated the brilliant and legendary history of China’s Air Force.

Reporters noted that one of the most visited exhibits in the hall is a bronze-like sculpture that captures visitors’ attention the longest. It depicts two soldiers from the Northeast Old Aviation School using a bicycle pump to inflate an aircraft’s tires — a scene that deeply moves all who see it.

A life-sized wax figure in the hall takes visitors back to the harsh early days of the Northeast Old Aviation School. Under the light of an oil lamp, two soldiers study aviation knowledge beside a stove in a simple earthen hut, unable to shield themselves from the bitter cold of the northeast. Their fur-lined hats are already frosted over. Many pilots are deeply moved when seeing this scene. Horses pulling airplanes, using alcohol instead of gasoline to get planes off the ground... these awe-inspiring stories recount the extraordinary early days when China’s Air Force pilots first began their mission.

The establishment of this museum fills a gap in both China’s Air Force and Jilin Province (the birthplace of the old aviation school), which previously lacked a dedicated memorial to the old aviation school. It is also currently the only museum in China’s Air Force that showcases the full journey of pilot training. The first floor of the museum features the Founding Hall and Development Hall of the Northeast Old Aviation School, while the second floor displays the historical development of the flight training base, the successor to the old aviation school. These two complementary exhibition systems together present over 60 years of rich history since the founding of the Northeast Old Aviation School, document the growth of the flight training base, and serve as a microcosm of the development of China’s Air Force, especially the achievements in air force flight academies.

Stepping into the exhibition halls of the memorial is like entering a tunnel through time. The walls are adorned with photos of iconic figures and heroes from various historical eras — wartime hero pilots like Han Decai and Du Fengrui, former Air Force commanders like Wang Hai and Liu Yalou, and more. Behind every name lies a glorious and legendary story. Observing the precious artifacts and portraits in the hall is like listening to the narration of the arduous beginnings of China’s Air Force pilots.

Zhao Fahong, political commissar of the Flight Training Base of the Air Force Aviation University, summarized the spirit of the Northeast Old Aviation School in sixteen words: “Unity and Struggle, Hard Work and Pioneering, Willingness to Sacrifice, and Blazing New Trails.” He hopes that generation after generation of pilots will embrace this spirit in their learning and training, building our Air Force into one of the world’s best.

The museum has now been designated as the “Changchun National Defense Education Base,” serving as a new educational site for military personnel and the people of Jilin to carry forward glorious traditions and promote patriotic education.